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"I know"

"We'll catch the cocksucker sooner or later You know that"

"Sure"

"Well," he said, and shifted his weight aardly "Well, listen Get some sleep, huh?"

"Sure"

I rode up on the elevator He wasn't in South Aht I knew damned well he wasn't in South Aain because he liked it

Maybe he'd done it before Maybe Kiood to hiain the same way, and the next time he wouldn't need an excuse Just a victim and a hotel room and his trusty ested

I didn't even feel like a drink

Ten days, I thought Just go to bed sober and you've got ten days

I took the gun out ofthe ivory bracelet in another pocket and I took it out and set it down next to the gun, still wrapped in paper towels fro them in the closet, and took off et out of and a cu to wear, andthe shot

I took the thing off and draped it over the dresser next to the gun and bracelet Bulletproof vests aren't just bulky, they're also warm, and I'd perspired inside this one and my undershirt had dark circles under the arms I took off the undershirt andclicked, so toward the bathroo man, olive skinned, wild-eyed He was as naked as I was and there was ablade

I threw the rabbed the gun off the dresser and dove out of his way The blade arced down, ain and I shot him four tihth Avenue, crosses Manhattan along Fourteenth Street, and winds up way the hell out in Canarsie Its first stop across the river in Brooklyn is at Bedford Avenue and North Seventh Street I left it there and walked around until I found his house It took ood day for walking, the sun out, the sky clear, and a little ware

There was a heavy less door to the right of the garage I poked the doorbell but got no response, and I couldn't hear the bell sounding within Hadn't he said soain, heard nothing

There was a brass knockerhappened I cupped my hands and shouted, "Chance, open up! It's Scudder" Then I pounded on the door some more, with the knocker and with ave it a tentative nudge with my shoulder and decided it was unlikely I could kick it in I could break aand get in that way, but in Greenpoint soun and coed on the door so the electrically operated garage door

"This way," he said "Before you knock e and he pushed a button to lower the door again "My front door doesn't open," he said "Didn't I show you that before? It's all sealed shut with bars and shit"

"That's great if you have a fire"

"Then I go out aBut when'd you ever hear of the firehouse burning down?"

He was dressed as I'd last seen hiht blue deniot your coffee," he said "Or I forgot to give it to you Day before yesterday, reonna take a couple pounds hoirlfriend Fine-looking woot some coffee made You'll have a cup, won't you?"

"Thanks"

I went into the kitchen with hiet hold of"

"Well, I sort of stopped checking with my service"

"I know Have you heard a newscast lately? Or read a paper?"

"Not lately You drink it black, right?"

"Right It's all over, Chance" He looked at ht I thought I'd couess I'd like to hear it"

I went through the whole thing in a fair amount of detail I was used to it by now It was thethe story to one person or another ever since I'd put four bullets into Pedro Antonio Marquez a little after two in the

"So you killed him," Chance said "How do you feel about that?"

"It's too early to tell"

I kne Durkin felt about it He couldn't have been happier "When they're dead," he had said, "you know they're not going to be back on the street in three years, doing it again And this one was a fucking animal He had that taste of blood and he liked it"

"It's the sauy?" Chance wanted to know "There's no question?"

"No question They got confirer of the Powhattan Motel They also matched a couple of latent prints, one from the Powhattan and one fros And the s They even found minute traces of blood where the hilt meets the handle, and the type et which one"

"How'd he get into your hotel?"

"He walked right through the lobby and rode up in the elevator"